RSS Chief Bhagwat to Visit West Amid Sanctions Calls

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is scheduled to visit the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom starting August 25, as part of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) centenary year outreach.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a federal body, has called for sanctions against the RSS and urged the Donald Trump administration not to extend diplomatic courtesies or hold high-level meetings with RSS leaders. USCIRF alleges the RSS is perpetuating attacks on religious minorities. The "Justice For All" organization, founded by a Pakistani-origin man, launched an online petition targeting Mohan Bhagwat, seeking to portray the RSS as an extremist organization and pressure the US government to block his entry.

This group has roots in Jamaat-e-Islami and a relationship with the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). Opponents describe the RSS as a "Hindutva" leader who poses threats to Indian minorities and a replica of the Nazi Party that persecutes Muslims and Christians. Conversely, more than 100 Canadian organizations and civil liberties groups have written to Prime Minister Mark Carney and federal ministers in support of Bhagwat's Canada visit.

These groups call the RSS an organization known for community service and urge that any decision on his entry be based on facts. RSS sources state that professional merit should be at the core, and there is needless controversy over past associations regarding an NCERT panel row.